Fulfilling Dreams
by Princess Ducky
Summary: Dumbledore stumbles across the Mirror of Erised and spends some time dwelling on his dreams. Set somewhere in HBP and is partly canon and partly fanon. Written for the "Those Voices, Mirror of Erised competition" on HPFC. Slight hints of slash. Please R


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter, as muck as I would want to.

**A/N: **Written for the_ **Those Voices The Mirror of Erised Competition **_over on HPFC, set by_PrimroseAmelia. _I was given Dumbledore as my character and I had to tell of what he would see in the Mirror of Erised. This is partly canon, partly made up so not everything will be as it is in the books. I'm not so sure on what I feel about this, it's my first time writing Dumbledore, and I don't like him normally so it was a challenge and I don't think I got it right, but I also don't think I'm going to get any better than this.

So enjoy :D

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"_I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks." – Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter about what he see's in the Mirror of Erised. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, chapter 12._

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Standing in front of the Mirror of Erised once again makes my mind flash back to 1992, when I told a young Mr Potter it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. This one piece of advice is something I live on everyday; I forget my dreams and live, knowing that there is no way that my one and only dream could ever come true.

But now, as I stand in front of this mirror six years later, I allow myself a little time to dream. I focus my eyes on the reflective piece of glass and my gaze softens as I watch the scene before me.

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The sun is shining and the blue sky is bright, as cliché as it maybe. I can see my childhood home in the background and it is better maintained than it ever was in my memories. The white of the house is vivid and the roof is the darkest black I can see anywhere, a sharp contrast to the rest of the building. The fence surrounding the property is whole, unlike reality when it was always falling apart – a symbol of my family's disarray. In front of the house and the fence there is a park edged in trees with the most beautiful red flowers adorning the branches.

The scenery is stunning, and so wishful on my behalf, but as per usual my eyes skip over the scenery and are drawn to the people in the mirror.

My sister Ariana is fifteen years old, and free of her illness, as my family put it. She's running around happily, freely. Her smile lights up her face as she gathers the fallen flowers and knots them into a chain. She picks up her circlet of flowers and lightly places it on top of her head. The joy on her features is one of the most innocent things I've seen. She was growing into a beautiful lady and my tears welled as I realised that she would never be that way.

Aberforth is there too. He laughs at Ariana and her pleasure in the flowers. He acts like she is embarrassing him but anyone can see the love in his gaze. His fingers twitch as he resists the temptation to reach for his wand that is in clear view in front of him. He eventually gives in and picks the wand up off the grass and casts a spell, the effects are immediate as Ariana's flowers multiply around her. The way her smile brightens as she turns to him makes Abe smile as well, and then his face suddenly darkens.

The reason why is obvious when I see my mother and father walk through the gate in the fence, towards the park and my siblings. They act disapproving at Abe's display of underage magic, but I could tell that they aren't mad at all; the twinkle in their eyes gives it all away. They come closer and Ariana runs up to them and gives them a hug before running back to her flowers. Abe grudgingly gets up and hugs them too, before sitting back down to watch his sister again, the smile slowly reappearing on his face. My parents sit down next to him, my father's arm around my mother and she leaning in to him.

I watch my family interact for a while. It's a bittersweet moment for me, as I will never see them interact in reality like this, ever. A movement in the shadows behind my family catches my eye and I shift my gaze toward the trees. I shed a lone tear as I see my younger-self lean in close to my best friend and only love I had ever had. His blonde hair falls into his face and I see myself push the hair back out of his way. I can see in his eyes the love that I never saw in reality, and that same love was reflected in my own mirror-images eyes.

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It was that love that pushes me to my limits and I tear my gaze away from the mirror and take a second to compose myself. I take a deep breath and try to wash away the longing and hurt I inevitably get from watching such an irrational scene. I know it never happened and it never will, but it doesn't stop me wishing it were true.

I squeeze my eyes tight and bring my occlumency shields back. I test them out by looking back to the mirror. I see the distinctive twinkle in my blue orbs that indicate that they were there but a second later I had the ultimate proof.

Reflected in the mirror was not the scene with my family, but me as I am at the moment, just holding a pair of thick, purple woollen socks. My mask is back in full force.

I leave the room feeling just as I was before I entered, except there is one minor change. I feel now that I can pass on. I feel that now I can leave this world as happy and complete as I ever would be.

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Now as I am lying on the floor in the Astronomy tower, and I am begging Severus, begging like I never have before, I know that it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. But as that green light speeds towards me I realise now that I am not going to live, and so I can finally fulfill my dreams.

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_Thank you for reading, now please review and let a girl know how she did, I would be so appreciative. _

_-Princess Ducky_


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